Stress Free Driving With The Kids - Follow Our Tips

Stress Free Driving with the Kids - Follow Our Tips

While we at Collins Honda think driving should always be a pleasure, we do admit that it can be stressful at times, especially if you have young kids in the backseat. You’re on your way to a relaxing holiday, after weeks on end of the daily grind and all you’re thinking about is that beach getaway, but first you have to contend with your kids getting fidgety in the back. Perhaps it’s dealing with some backseat fighting between siblings while you drop them off to school on your way to work.

Whatever the situation, here are some tips from our friendly team to help lessen the stress and get you safely where you need to be.

Holiday Road Trips

Break Up the Trip

Kids are used to packing so much into their days – running, jumping, playing games – so it’s no surprise that their minds and legs get restless pretty quickly. Prepare ahead of time to punctuate your journey with many short stops, preferably at locations where they’ll have accessible toilets and some food to buy.

Even if you have to take a slightly longer route just to pass through some rest places, it’ll be well worth the effort. A long road with no toilets or food might be tedious for you but it’s nightmarish for your kids. Make use of the built-in Google Maps function for Android and iPhone with your Honda!

Snacks

As adults, we are prone to a good bit of eating to relieve boredom. Well, food is probably more exciting for the kids so distribute snacks at well-timed intervals to keep their pestering at bay.

Pretend the Journey Will Be Longer Than It Is

Once kids get an idea in their head of when the journey is going to end, it will be impossible to dislodge. Whenever you think you’re likely to get there, bang on a few hours extra. You won’t have to deal with missed expectations and the kids will love you even more when you arrive earlier.

Back to School

Homework Quiz

Don’t leave it up to the kids to set the tone of the conversation. Quiz your kids on their homework and what’s on for their day at school. It’ll get them ready and mentally active for the day ahead (as well as verifying that they’ve actually been doing their homework!) and has the added benefit of keeping you involved.

Discuss the News

Put on the radio and talk through the news with your kids. Not only will your kids impress the teachers with their knowledge of current affairs, but it might force you to pay more attention, too!

Morning Preparation

Unfortunately, you can’t always rely on the kids to organise themselves, so ensure you are organised. Wake them up early. Make sure they’re fed, showered and ready to go well ahead of the time to leave. Think about leaving early because being stuck in traffic and late for school is a sure-fire way to make one thoroughly stressed before work. Don’t fall into the trap!

The Collins Honda team are a family owned and operated business. So we get all the other things that go into the driving life. Drop in for a chat or call 02 9599 4888 to talk about our exciting range of cars and services. We are always happy to help!